Merlin: The Complete Series

4 1/2 STARS FOR A WONDERFUL SERIES WHO'S STRENGHTS ARE ALSO SOMETIMES IT'S WEAKNESSES --- LIGHT ENOUGH FOR YOUTH AND DARK ENOUGH TO BE ENJOYED BY MANY ADULTS -- SEE BELOW FOR BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE BOX SET***I will not give away anything for those who have not seen the series***BASIC PREMISE: I say heavy magic in my title because the fantasy element is quite strong. Some people may prefer a more down to earth approach. However, this Arthurian based series is meant to be mostly family friendly with a great deal of humorous fun. Per the director's commentary, they take the four primary characters of Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere and Morgana, and begin them all in early adulthood as yet undeveloped peers striving to find their place in life. The very general story arcs are quite familiar and comfortable to Arthurian lore, while a great deal of dramatic license is taken with the individual characters and day to day tales. Merlin is not yet a great sorcerer, but knows he was born with magic. Arthur is obviously a prince, but young, brattish, and athletic, yet good hearted underneath. Morgana is a ward of King Uther as her own father Gorlois is long dead. She is a beautiful princess of Camelot, yet she is troubled with disturbing dreams. Guinevere is the most changed as she starts our tale as a servant to Morgana. Uther has outlawed magic in the kingdom because of tragedies we learn at a later time. Thus, Merlin must keep his magic a secret or risk being put to death. He travels to Camelot to seek his destiny while also becoming Arthur's manservant. They begin almost as enemies, yet develop a rapport and a sort of comedic foil to play off each other. Merlin must play somewhat a fool to keep from being discovered, yet Arthur also sees a certain wisdom in his young friend.ARCS & CONFLICTS: Keeping the magic a secret is a very fundamental conflict of the story as Merlin continually saves Arthur's life, while using magic. This conflict is important to creating the dramatic tension in the show, yet drags on quite long after five seasons. However, the show excels on the strength of it's characters and casting. We see each of these main characters and the supporting cast grow into their destinies and powers. Merlin learns of his destiny to pair with Arthur and save Albion. He is mentored by kindly Gaius, the sage court physician, and an ancient dragon imprisoned below Camelot. Arthur grows from the athletic jerk into the ruler who knows the world around him must change. Morgana comes to understand her dark secret and the true background of her father's demise. Guinevere finds that life can offer more than just being a servant.THE ACTORS: The primary four actors were mostly unknown, but Colin Morgan really pulls off the balance of being a bit foolish on one hand, but believably powerful and responsible when he needs to exert himself. This is key to the whole show. For me though, I really found Katie McGrath as Morgana carrying a huge chunk of the interest as she manages some fairly strong conflicts in the personality of her character. She really has the dark haired, pale faced, other worldly look of a Morgana. Richard Wilson makes a wonderful and fatherly Gaius that is easy to love. John Hurt as the last dragon and narrator of the show is positively perfect. All the knights of the round table also become more and more fleshed out as the series grows. One other character I really loved was Emilia Fox as Morgause. I was surprised at what a hard, yet stunningly beautiful sorceress she made. A one episode appearance by Holliday Grainger was pretty cool too! Another big star of the show is the beautiful Château de Pierrefonds itself, which serves as the castle of Camelot. What an amazing castle!BOX SET AND NEW EXTRAS(REVIEWED BLU-RAY VERSION): All the special features are carted over with the old discs. In addition, you receive a sixth disc in it's own case with two more special features not seen before. One is a San Diego 2012 Comic Con panel interview with the actors representing Merlin, Guinevere, and Morgana. The second is a short titled The Real Merlin & Arthur. This second short is a brief, very informal discussion of the historical origins and sights in Wales associated with the legend. As with the original extras, these are probably most interesting to ultimate fans where other people may not be as interested. The Comic Con panel was interesting just to see the actors out of character and interacting with fans. I found them a little more interesting than the video diaries that were in the individual releases. Mainly they discuss the transition into season 5 which was soon to come at that time. The historical Arthur short was a little disappointing as it's nothing more than a road trip and hand cam featuring Colin Morgan an Bradly James driving in a car and talking. They make a few significant stops and talk to local experts and characters about their take on the legend. They take back roads and consistently arrive late which limits their access to sites that on occasion cannot be seen. Very little scholarly content other than comments from the guy at the library in Mold, Wales. If you already bought the individual releases, I don't know if this package is worth the upgrade unless you want to condense. I bought the original UK releases which are quite chunky. Some of the US original releases were also a little thick and fold out style - though quite attractive, so this set will be nice to consolidate, or less lavish depending on your viewpoint. For the right price, eventually it may be an economical choice.Sadly this series came to an end after just five seasons and likely would have lasted longer with just a little tweaking to the formula. You probably would not be on this page if you were not a fan of the Arthurian legends. So, as long as you like a stronger fantasy element and a little slapstick now and then, you will almost certainly love this series. I highly recommend it!

The Adventures Of Merlin - The Complete Series (16-Discs)(Blu-Ray)REGION FREEMerlin Season 1 (Blu-Ray) 2008, 568 min. 13 Episodes (3-Discs)Merlin Season 2 (Blu-Ray) 2009, 571 min. 13 Episodes (3-Discs)Merlin Season 3 (Blu-Ray) 2010, 562 min. 13 Episodes (3-Discs)Merlin Season 4 (Blu-Ray) 2011, 561 min. 13 Episodes (3-Discs)Merlin Season 5 (Blu-Ray) 2012, 569 min. 13 Episodes (3-Discs)+ Bonus Disc & 4 Fridge MagnetsVideo: 1080p High Definition 16:9 Widecsreen 1.78:1Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HD StereoSubtitles: EnglishSeason 1 Extras:Behind The Magic, Part 1 (32 min.), Behind The Magic, Part 2 (30 min.),Video Diaries: Cast (19 min.), Colin and Bradley (11 min.), Colin Morgan's Video Diary (17 min.)The Black Knight Featurette (16 min.), Photo Galleries,Audio Commentaries to Episodes:"The Dragon's Call" by Producers Julian Murphy & Johnny Capps"Valiant" by Cast members Angel Coulby & Bradley James"Lancelot" by Producer Johnny Capps & Director Ed Fraiman"The Gates Of Avalon" by Cast Members Bradley James, Anthony Head & Director Jeremy Webb"The Beginning Of The End" by Cast Members Colin Morgan, Angel Coulby, Katie McGrath & Director Jeremy Webb"Excalibur" by Cast Members Colin Morgan, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson & Director Jeremy Webb"The Momenth Of Truth" by Cast Members Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Angel Coulby & Katie McGrathSeason 2 Extras:Cast & Crew Introduction to Merlin Series 2 (11 min.),Secrets And Magic: A Behind The Scenes Look at Series Two, Part 1 (70 min.),A Behind The Scenes Look at Series Two, Part 2 (95 min.).The Making Of Merlin (34 min.),Photo Galleries,Audio Commentaries to Episodes:"The Curse Of Cornelius Sigan" by Cast Members Bradley James & Colin Morgan"The Once And Future Queen" by Cast Members Anthony Head & Angel Coulby"Lancelot" by Cast Members Bradley James & Colin Morgan"The Sins Of The Father" by Cast Members Colin Morgan, Bradley James & Anthony Head"Sweet Dreams" by Cast & Crew Members Bradley James, Angel Coulby, Julian Murphy & Alice Throughton"The Witch's Quickening" by Cast & Crew Members Katie McGrath, Julian Murphy & Alice Throughton"The Fires Of Idirsholas" by Cast & Crew Members Colin Morgan, Katie Mcgrath & Jeremy WebbSeason 3 Extras:Merlin Season 3 Comic-Con San Diego (39 min.), Making Of Merlin Series 3 (24 min.),Deleted Scenes (28 min.), Out-takes (4 min.),Audio Commentaries to Episodes:"The Tears Of Uther Pendragon, Part 1" by Cast Members Katie McGrath & Bradley James"Goblin's Gold" by Cast Members Richard Wilson & Angel Coulby"Queen Of Hearts" by Cast & Crew Members Johnny Capps & Anthony Head"The Coming Of Arthur, Part 2" by Crew Members Julian Murphy & Jeremy WebbSeason 4 Extras:Deleted Scenes (22 min.), The Making Of Merlin Season 4 (19 min.), Outtakes (7 min.),Storyboards, Fan Photos,Audio Commentaries to Episodes:"The Darkest Hour, Part 1" by Director Alice Troughton & Actress Katie McGrath"The Darkest Hour, Part 2" by Actors Angel Coulby & Rupert Young"The Wicked Day" by Actor Colin Morgan & Director Alice Troughton"A Herald Of The New Age" by Director Jeremy Webb & Actor Adetomiwa Edun"The Secret Sharer" by Writer Julian Jones & Actor Richard WilsonSeason 5 Extras:Making Of Merlin Season 5 (26 min.), Deleted Scenes (18 min.), Outtakes (7 min.),Storyboards,Audio Commentaries to Episodes:"Arthur's Bane, Part 2" by Actors Colin Morgan & Alexander Vlahos"The Death Song Of Uther Pendragon" by Actors Angel Coulby & Rupert Young"The Disir" by Executive Producer Johnny Capps & Actor Colin Morgan"The Hollow Queen" by Actor Bradley James & Director Alice Troughton"With All My Heart" by Actors Angel Coulby & Alexander Vlahos"The Kindness Of Strangers" by Actor Bradley James & Rupert YoungBonus Disc Extras:San Diego Comic-Con 2012: Merlin Panel (39 min.),The Real Merlin And Arthur (31 min.),Additional Season 5 Audio Commentaries to Episodes:"Arthur's Bane, Part 1" by Executive Producer Julian Murphy& Director Justin Molotnikov"The Diamond Of The Day, Part 2" by Actress Katie McGrath& Executive Producer Julian Murphy